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nbsp; Champions League Round of 16 continues, four major clubs struggle to secure a win
This week, the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 continued. Inter Milan was defeated in the 93rd minute; Bayern Munich's goal drought persisted as they lost 0-1 away; Real Madrid was held to a 1-1 draw by a last-minute equalizer; Chelsea fell 1-3 to Napoli away, leaving Premier League teams at risk of being eliminated entirely in the round of 16 this season.
Inter Milan suffered a last-minute defeat in France
Inter Milan visited the Stade Vélodrome and were cruelly beaten by Marseille’s André Ayew with a header in stoppage time, losing 0-1 in France. After the game, Inter coach Claudio Ranieri vividly described the 93rd-minute loss: [It was like having a bucket of cold water poured over you in the middle of winter, cooling you from head to toe.]
Since their 0-1 loss to Lecce on January 29th, Inter Milan has played 7 matches (5 Serie A games, 1 Coppa Italia, and 1 Champions League match), with an overall record of 1 draw and 6 losses. The only draw came in a 4-4 snow battle against Palermo in the league, while the rest ended in defeats across all competitions. The ways of losing have been varied: getting double-digit defeats from the bottom team, suffering a 4-goal thrashing by Roma, being humiliated by relegation-threatened Bologna, and finally being defeated by Marseille. In these 7 matches, apart from the draw, there were no goals scored in the remaining 6 games, resulting in a total of 13 conceded goals.
Currently, Inter Milan has been overtaken by Udinese, Napoli, and Roma in Serie A, falling to the bottom of the second group, temporarily ranked 7th, more than ten points behind the leader, and six points away from a Champions League spot. They were also embarrassingly knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Napoli, and now they’ve lost the first leg of the Champions League. By the end of this season, Inter Milan could very well end up empty-handed in all competitions.
Bayern Munich traveled to Basel, where Basel's (left one) Stock scored the only goal.
Bayern struggles with a goal drought, loses 0-1 away
Bayern Munich went to Switzerland’s St. Jakob-Park to face traditional powerhouse Basel. Ultimately, Basel managed to secure a quasi-last-minute winner through Stock in the 86th minute of the second half, defeating Bayern 1-0.
Bayern dominated most of the match and expected to return to Munich with a 0-0 draw, but they were caught off guard in the final moments, darkening their hopes for advancement. They will need at least a two-goal victory in the return leg at home to progress.
In the first half of this season, Bayern not only led the league throughout but entered the winter break with a three-point lead. On the European stage, Bayern advanced confidently from the "Group of Death," showing potential to lift the European crown at Allianz Arena, much to the delight of their fans. However, after the winter break, Bayern's form took a sharp downturn, winning only two out of five Bundesliga matches, allowing Dortmund to claw back seven points, slipping to third place. Including this match, Bayern has failed to score for 240 consecutive minutes.
In this Sunday's league match, Bayern will host Schalke 04, and according to German media estimates, if Bayern cannot secure a win, even head coach Jupp Heynckes' position may start to waver.
In the freezing Moscow, Cristiano Ronaldo once again scored for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid encounters late equalizer, regrettably tied 1-1
Real Madrid drew 1-1 away against CSKA Moscow. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring, but Wijnblum equalized in the last minute. Not losing away and securing a goal is relatively ideal for Real Madrid. Historically, CSKA Moscow has never lost to Spanish teams, and the -5 degree Celsius freezing weather and slippery artificial turf made it difficult for Real Madrid players to adapt. Losing the lead 30 seconds before the end of the game is indeed regrettable. Once again, Real Madrid's issue stemmed from poor set-piece defense.
Since Mourinho became the manager of Real Madrid, the new galacticos haven't lost in Champions League away games. However, this draw ended Mourinho's personal undefeated record against CSKA Moscow. When managing Inter Milan and Chelsea, Mourinho had led his teams to victories in four consecutive matches against CSKA Moscow, without conceding a single goal.
Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi (center) scored twice.
Premier League faces potential complete elimination in the Champions League Round of 16
Napoli hosted English powerhouse Chelsea. The Italian side conceded a goal in the 27th minute but subsequently increased their pressure and eventually triumphed 3-1 over Chelsea thanks to two goals from Lavezzi and one from Cavani. Last week, AC Milan crushed Arsenal 4-0 at home. Both Premier League teams, both London heavyweights, suffered defeats in Italy.
Theoretically, Chelsea still has a chance to overturn the result. If Chelsea wins 2-0 against Napoli at Stamford Bridge, they can advance. But given the current state of both teams, a reversal for Chelsea seems quite challenging. Statistics show that including this game, there have been nine instances of teams losing 1-3 away in the Champions League knockout stage. Out of those eight previous cases, teams losing 1-3 away were eliminated seven times. This means Chelsea's elimination probability is as high as 87.5%, nearly 90%! The only exception was Barcelona in the 1999-2000 season. Barcelona lost 1-3 to Chelsea away, but returned to Camp Nou and won 3-1 within 90 minutes. In extra time, the Spanish giants scored two more goals, eventually reversing the result to 5-1.
Since the birth of the Premier League, there has never been a case where all Premier League teams were eliminated in the Champions League round of 16. The last time there were no Premier League teams in the Champions League quarterfinals was 17 years ago in 1995, when only one Premier League team participated. Blackburn Rovers were eliminated in the qualifying group stage. For the following 16 years, at least one Premier League team reached the quarterfinals, with a maximum of four teams advancing simultaneously. This season, Premier League teams were heavily hit even during the Champions League group stage. Both teams from Manchester were highly favored, but neither managed to advance from their groups.